Advancements in communication technologies have provided the basis for the development and deployment of new types of radio communication systems. A cellular communication system is exemplary of a radio communication system that has been widely deployed and whose use through which to communicate is widespread.
While early-generation, cellular communication systems provided primarily for voice communication services, newer-generation systems increasingly provide for data communication services. For many, telephonic communications by way of a cellular, or cellular-like, communication system is a regular occurrence, and, for some, use of a cellular communication system through which to communicate is a predominant manner by which to telephonically communicate.
Increasingly, use is made of cellular, or cellular-like communication systems to communicate messages pursuant to the message-service capabilities of such systems. Message services include, for instance, e-mail communications. E-mail communications include text messages and data amenable for communication in digital form. Communications by way of messaging services are sometimes preferred for the reason that a recipient of a message need not immediately access the message but, rather, the recipient is able later to retrieve the communicated message. Additionally, unlike voice communications, text-based communications are not ephemeral, and a record is maintained of the communication.
The recipient of the message must, of course, be aware of the delivery of the message in order for the recipient to view the message and to take further action, if needed. Some communication devices that are used for messaging services do not provide an appropriate range of alerts to provide best for alerting of a recipient of the received message. When a communication is urgent, communication that otherwise would be carried out pursuant to a message service is sometimes instead carried out by a voice service. The sender is better assured that the informational content of the communication is timely delivered to the recipient.
This problem would be less likely to occur if the radio communication device provided for better alerts, better permitting a user thereof to detect delivery of a terminating message.
Field service workers, for instance, sometimes utilize handheld, wireless communication devices that are text-message capable. The field service worker, for instance, receives, by way of text messages, instructions from a home, or other remote, office. The instructions may, for instance, comprise operational edicts, operational advice, or merely reports or other information related to the home, or other, office or general information. Other messages might also be deliverable to the communication device. And some of these other messages might also be urgent. Of whatever origin, the message if important, should be timely viewed by the field service worker. The annunciation of the reception of the message should, therefore, be made in a manner in which the field service worker is likely to detect its delivery.
If, for instance, the wireless communication device comprises a Windows™-based generally fails to provide a manner by which properly to alert a user of reception of an urgent message. For instance, such devices fail to provide for repeat notification of a received message. If the user of the device is unable immediately to view a received message, the received message might be forgotten and not timely reviewed.
An improved manner by which to alert a recipient of a received message is therefore needed.
It is in light of this background information related to radio communication systems that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.